Foreign firms jittery

Japanese firms are reassessing security needs for their citizens in Bangladesh in the aftermath of the deadly attack on an upscale restaurant in Dhaka that left seven Japanese dead. With many Japanese companies operating in Bangladesh, the concerns are genuine. The same goes for every other foreign company operating in the country and Bangladesh is now home to hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals working in the various sectors in the economy, primarily the readymade garments sector (RMG).

We fully understand and sympathise with the concerns of the expatriate community. However, we would also like to stress that such an incident should not be taken out of context to portray Bangladesh as an unsafe place. Terrorism exists in many countries of the world and there is no foolproof safeguard against it. We are hopeful that security measures are being taken by the government to contain the threat posed by extremists. The recent attack in Sholakia by militants was foiled and although there were some casualties. This goes to show that security has been beefed up and response against such threats is evolving and becoming more effective.

We know and believe Bangladesh to be a country of massive potential; to become the country of choice for investments in the future and a major factory base to replace or supplement China. What is required now is to put measures into place that will ensure foreign citizens' physical safety in the country. Authorities and foreign firms need to work together to make that happen. It will not be easy. We need international collaboration as terrorism is now an international crime. The faster we develop closer collaboration with other terrorism affected countries the better it will be for us all.